Why yes! These are adorable foster kittens!

Oh the cuteness! 

Drogo*, the black short haired boy, is about 8 weeks. He needed more socialization. When he first came home about a week ago, he would hide and hiss as soon as someone came in the room. Now he just looks up and waits to be picked up. He's also playing and eating well! Woo-hoo!

Tyrion*,  the fluffy orange tabby boy, is about 4 weeks. He needed growing and medication for a wee little cold. He's feeling so much better now and is romping and playing and has the biggest purrs you've ever heard from a little one under 1 lb. What a sweety!

*the kittens are named for characters from Game of Thrones.

If you like fantasy & excellent writing, read the books!

or, to add excellent acting, watch the HBO show!

Both are yummy!

Tiny Furry Guests

Mugsy - foster kitten

Pedro - foster kitten

Tomorrow I'm picking up two tiny house guests... KITTENS!!
One is 6-7 weeks and in need of socializing (in other words, scared of people and hissy) and the other one is under 4 weeks and primarily needs feeding/growing. They are orphans without littermates. Kittens who don't have littermates when they're so young, have a hard time grasping boundaries because there isn't another kitten to say, "hey! stop that!" (in cat, of course) among other things that they learn from interacting with each other. This is why they're being fostered together. 

Cosette - foster kitten

I've done some fostering (the pics are of my previous foster kids) and there are certain things that every kitten foster needs. 

1. A safe place - especially when you're dealing with tiny kittens, you want to make sure to minimize the chances of them getting into trouble. If you don't, you may end up with a kitty falling or ended up in the trashcan, or chewing/destroying things, or countless other things. My fosters will be going into the upstairs bathroom that's practically empty. I still had to move the toilet brush and cleaner to under the sink and put the trash on the back of the toilet, but there's less that they could get hurt with than if they stayed in my room.
2. A place away from your pets - right now I have the bathroom door closed so my guys can get used to not being able to go in that room.
3. A comfortable place - CAT BEDS!! ;)
4. Food, water & litter pan (with litter) & toys
5. lots of love, patience and time!! It also helps if you have others, say a mate or a friend, who can come in and help. And how do they help? By playing with kittens!! (Oh, the work I impose on those I love!)

I absolutely adore fostering! Though, I must confess, the first night or so is a bit exhausting since I tend to wake up every few hours with a need to check on the kittens.   >^..^<

Weathering a new Motto



Cassie - French Bulldog
Nick - Boston Terrier

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

I've decided to that the mail courier motto fits dog walking pretty darn well. With just a bit of modification, I'm sure I could make it into a good motto for dog walkers...



Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these walkers from their dogs.

...though the walk may be altered to fit the needs of the dog.



Palin - Pomeranian



Hmmm... Might need to work on that a bit.  ;)

The thing is, not all dog walks are equal. There are small dogs, big dogs, puppies that need extra patience*, older dogs who can't go so far, two dogs that get walked together and dogs who want to run, run, run! There are also dogs who may have temporary changes due to an injury or a surgery or something else. It's at these times that it is crucial that the pet parent and dog walker have good lines of communication. Overall, each walk is different. Yet weather will not keep me from my appointed rounds. Maybe I'm over thinking it...



Elmhurst Pet Parade 2011

* The link is to a blog post Amanda, Top Dog of Out-U-Go! Downers Grove, wrote!

Learning the ropes! Or rather, leash...

While dog walking is sometimes just about getting the dog out of the house to do his/her business and get some exercise, that's not always the case. Sometimes, my job is to help with the training. I love this!!



Porter (Boxer pup) resisting the leash



For example, 

Max (English Bulldog Mix) walking nicely

two dogs I walk are puppies. You know what  puppies hated? Leashes. Or rather, the fact that when you're walking them, you don't want the leash to be chewed on. This involves a lot of me making the incredibly annoying and loud "Ah-ah!" sound and adjusting the leash so they can't get to it.

Then there's the hopping and spinning in the air that they'll do in an effort to get away from the thing that has their neck. That just has to be waited out. The most valuable tool in any training situation is patience.

Treats will also help to lure a dog to walk, but the best thing is to use the what my mom called the hitchy-pitchy (high pitched) voice. In the most animated voice, the pups are given lots of encouragement. Whenever I'm training dog walkers for the shelter, I tell them they have to sound absolutely ridiculous or the dog won't do what you want. (The teenage boys love this the most.)

Porter (Boxer) tolerating the leash



Birdies and Bunnies Beware!!



Chester - Lab/Beagle Mix

Chester is one of the dogs I walk five days a week. When I first started walking Chester in April, I was shadowing another walker. She told me he was really trying to be good, but he's still a puppy. Even now, at almost 8 months, he definitely has a lot of puppy energy. But he's trying! He's gotten a lot less mouthy and jumpy; will sit at the door as I put his leash on and wait patiently while I open the door. He's getting better about staying with me even when there are other dogs around.

But if there's a bunny.... Whoa Nelly!! If only he could get his collar off and chase without me holding him back, he'd... oh boy, he'd do stuff!! That bunny wouldn't know what hit!!
(This is what I imagine he thinks would happen...)
Bunny: "Was that a truck??"
Bunny's Friend: "Why no, my wittle bun-bun friend! That was a CHESTER!!"
Bunny: "Noooooooooooo! Not a CHESTER!!! Anything but that!!!"

I have a theory that Chester may just possibly have some pointer or some other sort of bird dog in him because when he sees a bird, or several birds, he freezes and... well, points. He then seems a bit confused, as if he didn't know why he did that, then he'll give one bark. By that time, the bird(s) are long gone.

Ferocious hunter Chester!

Technical Difficulties

Socko (Shepherd mix) sleeping

Tailor (Glen of Immal Terrier) sittin' pretty

Yesterday, after writing an entry and saving it as I go along, it disappeared when I went to publish.

(Grrrr!)

Two cute dogs instead!

The adventures of Ink

Hai! I'm Ink!

 

Is that the time?

 

I feel like I'm in prison



Let me check that...



I'm in a box!



Wait... how do I get out?



I'm gettin' a drink!

EXHAUSTED!!

Bailey - Bichon Frise

Gia - Miniature Schnauzer

Molly - Glen of Immal Terrier

Tailor - Glen of Immal Terrier

The heat, the HEAT!! Today was super hot, especially for the heat sensitive pups. We took shorter walks (except with Stanley who insisted on taking me for a jog) and I tried to keep them in the shade as much as possible. As soon as we got home, each dog went straight to their water bowls then collapsed on the floor. I refilled the water & they did it all over again... minus the walking.

Important thing to remember: Always pay attention to the environment including the weather and how it's affecting the dogs when walking them. They'll appreciate it!

Stanley and the Tulips



Stanley - Black Standard Poodle

Stanley is one of the dogs I walk for Out-U-Go! In the Spring Stanley suddenly took an interest in the blooming flowers. But not all the flowers. He'd walk past the daisies and the hydrangeas and the peonies... all in favor of the tulips. I was concerned that he would try to eat them, but he didn't. He'd sniff the flower from base to bud. Then he'd happily trot over to the next tulip to do it all over again.

Tulips

Pet Walk!!

Today Socko, my 9 year old Shepherd Mix, went out and represented Out-U-GO! at the Hinsdale Humane Society's Pet Walk!! We had a great time! I planned to post lots and lots of pictures, but after the shot I got of Socko, my unsmart camera phone decided not to work. Oh well... Here's the one of Socko! He's sooooooooo happy!!


"I LOVE this place!!!"



Death and the Kitty

Nova

Nova, our 16 year old tiny tuxedo kitty, has taken a turn for the worse. While not surprising, she was diagnosed with kidney failure in November of 2008, it's still sad. We're taking her to the vet Monday afternoon to say our last goodbyes. Our vets, who are wonderful, have a relationship with Nova. She's been going to Danada Veterinary Hospital since she was about 4 years old. They've helped us & her through some really tough times including diagnosing her and helping us with her treatments including subcutaneous fluids. While we will be sad when she's gone, we do not regret the decision. Until Monday, she'll be swaddled in love as we keep vigil.
 

Swaddled

   

Swaddled and Sleeping

Walk the dog

Zinc - Boston Terrier

Max - English Bulldog/Pug Mix

Walking a dog on a leash was something I didn't really think about before I worked at the animal shelter.  I grew up with dogs, so I knew how to walk a dog on a leash, right? That's partially true. I knew how to walk my dog. But every dog is different. At the shelter, I've learned how to approach an unknown dog for a walk. Staying calm and having a lot of patience is key. Many dogs respond to treats and praise and me making absolutely ridiculous noises to get their attention. Some dogs just have to be waited out; given time to trust you. We even have some puppy mill dogs who know nothing about the world beyond the cages they've lived in and have to be carefully introduced to everything. (I'll touch on puppy mill dogs in a later post.)

Through my work with Out-U-Go!, I get to know the particular idiosyncrasies of each dog. This is exciting because along with walking the dogs, I do some very rudimentary training. Here are 2 examples:

1. Zinc, the Boston in the picture, can be a pretty stubborn little fellow. He will sit on his haunches and refuse to move. The fortunate thing with Zinc is that he's treat motivated. I will show him his treat (actually, half of one of his treats), let him sniff it, then point to the next corner. At the corner, I give him the treat. It took him a few walks to trust me, lots of stopping and starting with me putting the treat up to his nose each time he sat down then pointing at the corner, but he now will trot happily to the corner and await his treat! Sometimes, he even forgets the treat and we just keep going with lots of encouraging words.
2. Max, the other dog pictured, is just over 2 months. He's a little pup just learning how to walk on a leash. For him the world is huge and exciting and can be a little bit scary. My job is to help his family reassure him that the world isn't a scary place.When I first get him out, I talk to him excitedly and give him lots of pets. Once he has started walking, I use the "AA-AH!" sound to stop him from chewing on the leash then praise with words and treats when he walks nicely. He LOVES my high-pitched happy voice so he responds very well. He still has many things to learn, but he's on the right path!

But cats HATE water!

Not all cats hate water. There's even a breed of cat, the Turkish Van, that LOVES water!!
  

Meander drinking from the faucet

One of my cats, Meander (the long haired gray boy), will sit on the edge of the tub and bathe himself while I take a bath. He likes for me to rub my wet hands over his fur so he can lick the water droplets off. He also drinks from the faucet. I adopted him from the shelter at 4 years of age. The first time he jumped up on the sink, I thought he just wanted to get closer to me. The he nuzzled the faucet. I turned it on and he was thrilled. "You've done this before, haven't you?"


Hey! What a good idea!! I, Ink, shall now drink!

 I have another cat Ink (the little black kitty) who learned how to drink out of the faucet by watching Meander when he was just a kitten. I don't know if he would've been such a water lovin' cat on his own since he followed his big brother around and wanted to do everything just like Meander! It's that whole "nature vs. nurture" debate... but with adopted cats.

 

Alex and Spencer drinking water from the tub



These other two cats are Alex and Spencer. I petsit for them through Out-U-Go! Every time I go over there, one of the first things I do is turn on the bathtub faucet so they can slurp up the trickels of water. They love it! Alex even gets right into the tub and, by the time he gets out, his face is all wet.


 

Ready.... set....

Lick!!!  



Pocket of Poo

Having any job in the animal care industry means that you're going to be dealing with some stinky stuff. The important thing is to always be prepared and be flexible and to know that, at some point, you are going to mess up. Then you recover. You pick up the poo.